Rohit Sharma will be able to discuss his future with BCCI ahead of the South Africa Tour in order to prepare for T20 World Cup 2020.
Rohit Sharma, India’s captain, responded to all questions at the prematch press conference before the final of the Cricket World Cup in a nonchalant way. He never appeared to be under pressure. He might not be bothered by the pressure of expectation but losing is no longer an option. The BCCI will discuss his fate before the India Tour of South Africa.
Why? He is 37. Fans may argue that he still has three years in international cricket left and India will be playing three ICC tournaments within that time frame, but he might not be around for those. India will participate in the T20 World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy in 2025. If they qualify, India could play in the WTC Final in 2025. His declining T20 form doesn’t put him in the lead. He may not be able to play Tests again for another two-year period. The same applies to ODIs.
Hence the Cricket World Cup 2023 might be his final chance to win a trophy from ICC after the 2007 T20 WC.
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After the T20 World Cup disaster, the focus shifted towards the ODI World Cup. But the idea was for Rohit Sharma and Virat to sit down and discuss their future. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar had included this in his job description.
Two years ago there were doubts over Rohit’s durability due to a series of injuries and a poor run of form. That’s all gone now. India’s Cricket World Cup hero 2023 has been a slam-dunk with some scorching knocks. Rohit has 550 runs with a 55 average, and a 124.15 strike-rate in this World Cup. His fitness is evident by the fact that he played 16 IPL games and 33 international matches in 2023. He is as fit and healthy as ever.
Rohit Sharma’s T20 performances in the last two years
| Matches | Runs | Avg | SR | HS | 50/100 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20Is | 31 | 767 | 26.44 | 138.19 | 72 | 0/5 |
| IPL 2022 | 14 | 268 | 19.14 | 120.18 | 48 | 0/0 |
| IPL 2023 | 16 | 332 | 20.75 | 132.8 | 65 | 0/2 |
It’s his T20 performance that could make his return to the T20 World Cup in 2024 a question. Rohit Sharma hasn’t played any T20Is or IPL since the last T20 World Cup.
InsideSport quoted a senior BCCI representative as saying that it will be decided whether he continues playing in T20Is ahead of the South Africa Tour. Rohit will not be playing in the 5-match IND vs AUS T20 Series. Selectors must discuss plans as India plays three T20s against South Africa, and it could be India’s penultimate T20 World Cup series.
Ajit Agarkar, Rohit’s coach, will ask Rohit if he wants him to continue playing T20Is when Rohit returns after the World Cup final. India have a plan to replace Hardik as T20 captain.
